Jealousy Is Very Unbecoming, Gajeel
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: Gajeel's irritated about the attention a certain blue-haired bookworm is recieving. The Green-Eyed Monster's bite hurts worse than any dragon's. Rated T for Gajeel's potty mouth. *Second chapter is actually reposted original story*
1. Repost

**So the admins took down my original "Jealousy" and at the behest of readers, I'm reposting it! From memory, so if some things look different, they probably are. Enjoy!**

**Remember, the order is "Jealousy" then "Envy" and then "Captive Dragon, Iron Princess".**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Fairy Tail_ or any of the characters. Boo.**

* * *

It wasn't often that Gajeel Redfox felt the urge to decimate a whole roomful of idiots that weren't Fairy Tail mages. Then again, it wasn't often that he was roped into being the pack mule for a petite blue-haired girl he could quite easily snap in half with one hand.

This was both of those times.

Once again, the Iron Dragonslayer was surprised and spectacularly pissed off at the amount of attention Levy McGarden was gathering in one of the many bookstores the bookworm visited. He felt his blood pressure rise as she chatted with a good dozen young males who (to Gajeel's highly trained senses) weren't interested in anything other than her.

"Levy-chan, you're looking especially cute today!"

"Levy-chan, is that a new bandanna?"

"I like you, Levy-chan! Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?"

That last query was the iron straw that shattered across Gajeel's back. Straightening from his slouched pose against the wall, he cleared his throat loudly. As was common, the entire store went silent and everyone around Levy watched him warily, fear in their eyes.

_As it should be, the jackasses. _"I'm headin' back, Shorty," he said gruffly, concealing his smug pleasure. "You comin' or what?"

"Oh, Gajeel!" she gasped, as if she'd forgotten he was there. _Probably did, _he figured. "I'm, uh, going to be a little longer. I'm sorry for keeping you so long."

"No problem. Bye." Raking the crowd with a scorching red glare, Gajeel turned on his heel and stomped outside.

People saw him approach and quickly moved out of his path. Veteran Magnolians knew to stand clear when an angry Gajeel was heading down the street. If something was in his way, he'd just break it apart and walk on by. His foul moods were almost as devastating as Gildarts' rare returns.

Gajeel didn't even know where his feet were leading him. He was in his own mind, thinking about the man who'd dared to ask Levy out. In Gajeel's presence, no less! _Bastard's got balls, I'll give him that much_.

But he knew he had no room to talk. It wasn't as if he had any say in her personal life. She was just another member of his guild, the solid script mage beloved by all. She was good and sweet and light, the closest thing to an angel Gajeel had ever seen.

She was not his. Never had been. He'd broken her once before, and that made her unattainable. She couldn't belong to anyone, lest of all to him. He had no right to touch her.

Didn't mean he didn't want to touch.

* * *

The next day, Fairy Tail was in an uproar that for once didn't involve property damage. Levy was going on a date!

And she was dressed to impress. Instead of her usual bright, cheery sundress, she had on a black spaghetti-strap dress sprinkled with silver dust that sparkled with every move she made. Black heels with ribbon laces tied up her calves covered her feet, and in her hair was a black headband adorned with a finely-crafted silver rose.

Gajeel sat at the far end of the bar and nursed a mug of booze as he watched Lucy and Mirajane fuss over the bookworm's attire. Bad enough she looked the way she did. Now she smelled good enough to eat. He tore his gaze away, grabbed the bottle and dumped its contents in his cup.

"You're glaring very evilly," Lily remarked, climbing on the stool next to the Dragonslayer. "More so than usual."

"Shaddup," growled his partner, quaffing down another tankard's worth of liquor.

"She's going to get worried about you." The black Exceed looked him over. "Ease up on the boozing, will ya? You're heading a bad way."

"Leave me along, all right?"

"Whatever." Leaving Gajeel to stew, Lily hopped off his stool and went over to admire Levy's outfit. "Very nice. Tasteful. I approve."

"Aw, thanks Lily. I'm really nervous." Levy giggled, the sound hitting Gajeel like an Iron Dragon's Club to the stomach.

"Don't be!" Lucy stated. "This guy sounds like quite a catch!"

"Just be yourself, Levy," Mirajane advised with a warm smile. "And he'll love you to bits."

_Fuck, _Gajeel thought. Pushing the now-empty bottle away, he reached behind the bar and grabbed the first thing his hand could reach. He tore out the cork with his teeth and poured half the bottle into his tankard.

Levy then caught sight of the black-clad Dragonslayer alone at the far end of the bar. "Is he all right, Lily?" she asked quietly, hoping Gajeel couldn't hear her. "He seems angry. Er. Than usual."

The black cat rolled his eyes. "Yes, he's fine. Just in a real foul mood. I'll probably have to haul his ass home at some point."

The solid script mage felt a pang of compassion. "Maybe I should stop by after my date."

"That'd be real nice of you," Lily said. "You could write him some IRON. He's grown partial to that stuff."

"I'll do that. Oh, I have to go now! Bye!" Picking up her matching purse holding her quill for protection, Levy waved her guild good-bye and headed out for her date.

The atmosphere in Fairy Tail was light and cheerful for precisely ten minutes. That's when people began to notice Gajeel's swaying form on his stool as he kept drinking like a man denied water. When he reached for another bottle, even Mirajane wasn't brave enough to try and stop him. His swaying grew worse with every swallow.

Half an hour after Levy was gone, he finally swayed too far over and hit the ground, making the entire building shudder slightly. Heaving a sigh, Lily transformed into his larger form and threw the Dragonslayer over his shoulder. "I'm taking this idiot home," he informed the general public.

"He's really messed up," Erza noted.

Natsu went to sit at the bar, but he got within two feet of Gajeel's stool and gagged. "Ugh! What is that stink?" he shouted, staring at the abandoned bottles and tankard. His nose wrinkled in disgust. "That idiot! Why the hell was he drinking the worst crap here?"

Mirajane chuckled. "Jealousy is a harsh drinking companion."

* * *

"You're such a child," grumbled Lily as he dumped the Dragonslayer on his bed like a sack of grain. "Did you even smell the bottom-self liquor before pouring it down your gullet?"

"Wasn' th' poin' t' smell it," Gajeel slurred. "Poin' was t' get drunk."

"Which you've done rather admirably." The black Exceed rolled his eyes and headed into the shabby kitchen to brew some tea. "If you do puke, try and get it in the bucket. I'm not cleaning up your crap tonight."

"Shaddup."

Gajeel curled up on his big, soft, comfortable bed (hey, just because he ate metal doesn't mean he liked sleeping on it) and tried to move as little as possible. It felt like a porcupine was rolling around inside his head, jabbing its quills into his brain and all around his skull whenever he twitched or breathed. So he tried very hard to do very little.

Somehow he managed to sleep through the pain. He woke up hours later to darkness outside his windows and the sound of rain pattering on his tin-sheet roof. It reminded him of how the rain could bounce off Metalicana's scales, a soft, steady sound that somehow didn't aggrevate his condition and almost lulled the Dragonslayer back to sleep.

There was a knock at his door, and the sound nearly brought on his headache again. _Goddammit, go away_, he silently ordered the caller.

Then he heard Lily say, "Hello Levy. Won't you come in? I'm just about to make some tea."

"Where's Gajeel?"

"Sleeping in his room."

_Levy? Levy's here? _Panic flooded Gajeel's barely-sober mind._ I can't let her see me like this. She can't see me like this!_

_I have to hide!_

* * *

The second-most surprising thing Levy had ever witnessed was the sight of big, bad-ass Dragonslayer Gajeel Redfox trying to bolt from his bed like a bat out of hell at the sight of her.

The most surprising thing, however, was witnessing big, bad-ass Dragonslayer Gajeel Redfox trip over the sheets tangled around his feet and fall with an ungraceful splat face-first on the floor. A heavy string of swearing followed this, muffled by the floor but no less angry.

"Gajeel?" Levy asked, shocked and somewhat alarmed at his actions. "Are you all right?"

"Ow," he moaned. "Dammit..." His head tilted slightly, enough for one bloodshot red eye to crack open to see her. "Shor'y, wha' you doin' h're?"

"I told Lily I'd stop by after my date. I was worried about you." Pulling out her quill, she swiped a few strokes in midair and declared, "FLOAT!" The fluffy letters manifested underneath Gajeel, lifting him from the floor on a soft bed of clouds. Levy directed her magic to float the Dragonslayer back into his bed. "You're a mess."

Curling up once more, Gajeel snarled something unintelligible and buried his head under his pillow. Clucking her tongue impatiently, Levy sat beside the larger man and rested her hand on his shoulder blade. "Gajeel?"

He shifted slightly, one bleary crimson eye peering out from beneath his mane of black hair. "Wha'?" he muttered.

"You should drink some water. You're dehydrated."

"I wan' your IRON," Gajeel demanded weakly. "Gimme."

Levy couldn't help the smile at his childish request. "The last thing I'm doing is giving you solids right now. What happens if you throw it up?"

"Won' throw up," he grumbled. "Not a wimp."

"I know." She rubbed between his shoulder blades gently, as if petting a giant black beast. "I know, Gajeel. It's not weak to accept someone else's help, you know." She could feel Gajeel relaxing under her hand, every muscle growing loose as he stretched out to take up his enormous bed. His eyes blinked slowly, as if the lids were growing heavier with each blink. Deciding to be daring, Levy reached with her other hand and smoothed his unruly hair away from his face. "It's okay. It's just me, Gajeel. You know I don't think you're weak. You're one of the strongest people I know, and remember, I know Erza and Natsu and Master Makarov."

_But you're even stronger than me, _thought Gajeel.

He loved this tiny, hot-tempered, spunky bookworm with every bone in his body. It was a love that had been brewing for quite some time, and every time he looked at Levy, that love grew even more. He could no longer envision a life without her, and no spineless civilian was going to take her from him.

He opened his mouth to tell her just that - and promptly rolled away to vomit into the trashbin beside the bed. Levy shrieked in disgust and leapt out of the line of fire.

Standing in the doorway and balancing a pot of tea and three cups on his tray, Lily sighed heavily and said, "Idiot."

* * *

Gajeel didn't return to the guild for three days.

Technically, he had sobered up the day after Levy's visit. But he couldn't show his face after that embarassing episode, because knowing Natsu, he'd tease his fellow Dragonslayer relentlessly. So he spent the next two days trying to solidify what little dignity he had left.

He also used the time to figure out exactly how to tell Levy how he felt about her. Something told him that merely saying, "You're mine, shorty" would not go over well. Levy would want something romantic, like the speeches those storybook princes of hers always gave their princesses. (Yes, he actually did read one of her books. Once. Just to see what the big deal was.)

He was tinkering with one of his metal toys when Lily came home that third day. The Exceed had a darkly gleeful smile on his face, like he was keeping a secret. Naturally, Gajeel asked what had him what was making him so damn happy.

Lily was only too happy to divulge. "Levy has another date with that guy from the bookstore."

There was no unit of speed fast enough to measure how quickly the Dragonslayer kicked his iron-studded frame into gear and bolted for the guild.

When he threw open the guild's front doors, more than one mage jumped in surprise. He only had eyes for Levy, who had completely turned around to face him with shock on her face. She was wearing that black glittery dress again with those strappy black heels and that silver rose headband.

Every single word of his carefully prepared speech disappeared when he got the first whiff of her. The metallic tang mingled with her ink-and-parchment scent in a way that had Gajeel almost salivating. Swallowing hard, he stalked inside and stood in front of Levy with a blush dusting his cheeks and desire in his eyes.

"You," Gajeel said in a tight voice, staring at Levy. "Are. Mine. Got it?"

While surprised at his brusque statement, Levy still had the guts to put her hands on her hips and reply, "Says who?"

"Says me." Without waiting for a reply he picked her up with one hand and tossed her over his shoulder, then turned around and left the guild with the solid script mage kicking and cursing every step of the way.

Natsu and Wendy, their sensitive noses picking up a surprising scent, shared a wide-eyed look of surprise. "Is he gonna - " Wendy started to say.

"I think he's gonna," Natsu agreed. His grin was wide. "About time."

Meanwhile, Mirajane and Cana started making their rounds to collect on the betting pool.

* * *

**So, yes, as I look over it, it's vastly different from my original. But hey, I like it!**

**Leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Original

**And now, here is the original version of "Jealousy Is Very Unbecoming, Gajeel" courtesy of _Jun'Hee Hyoma Hayagriva_. Merci!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I'm just playing with them right now.**

* * *

Gajeel Redfox was not one for stupid emotions.

Especially a stupid emotion like jealously.

But as he watched the male population crowd around a certain blue-haired solid script mage as she perused the bookshop, Gajeel had to really steel himself so as not to do something idiotic. Like showing that he cared. Or punching the guys. Especially punching them.

This was becoming a disturbingly familiar situation whenever Levy roped him into being her partner. She'd ask for his help, he'd say yes after a dose of her puppy-dog eyes (the hell kinda magic was in that look? It was freaky how easily his will crumbled), and then he'd have a front-row seat as every healthy male under the age of dead smiled and complimented and flirted with Levy before, during, and after the mission. At first, it was mildly amusing to watch her blush self-consciously. But now she was used to it, the blush was only a light, pleased dusting of red on her cheeks, and Gajeel's amusement had turned into something not as pleasant.

The Iron Dragonslayer really wanted to leave, but he wasn't about to leave Levy with her heavy load. Not with these jerks salivating over her. Crossing his arms over his chest, he settled for glaring at the group of males that seemed to grow in number. Their voices rose and fell, grating on his sensitive hearing with their loud, obnoxious words.

"Levy-chan, you look so cute today!"

"Is that a new bandanna, Levy-chan?"

"Why don't you look at this one, Levy-chan? It's one of your favorites, isn't it?"

"I like you, Levy-chan! Would you like to go on a date?"

Gajeel twitched, glaring at the man who dared to ask that question. He looked like a lean, sweet, handsome sort of guy - _if you liked that type of weak-ass shit_, Gajeel thought with another surge of annoyance. He drummed his fingers against his bicep, waiting for Levy to shoot the loser down so they could get back to the guild.

But Levy surprised him by smiling at the hopeful man and saying, "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to!"

Another twitch flitted across Gajeel's face. He almost gave into his urge to pulverize the guy, but didn't. Jealousy was strong, but his sense of reason was stronger. _Screw this shit. I'm out of here._"Oy, shorty," he said over the noise. "I'm heading back."

The little mage glanced at him in surprise, as if shocked that he was still there."Um, sure Gajeel. See you later!"

Released from his task, Gajeel headed back to the guild as calmly but as quickly as his legs could carry him. People on the street casually skirted from his path when they noticed he had a dark cloud over his head. While he'd gained the people's trust a while back, everyone in Magnolia knew not to get in the black-haired Dragonslayer's way when he was in one of his moods.

Pantherlily found him forty minutes later, huddled up in a tree like a sulking black bird of prey about five blocks from the guild. A grin of mischief touched his mouth. "Oy, metalhead!" he called up. "Why so glum?" Gajeel didn't respond. "Hey! Don't make me fly up there and smack you."

"Go away," mumbled Gajeel, not looking at his cat.

Heaving a sigh, Lily crossed his arms. "Jealousy isn't cool, idiot."

"I'm not jealous!" roared the Dragonslayer.

"Liar. You turn greener than the Salamander in a vehicle every time you see Levy with another guy," Lily said. "It's actually kind of funny. I never thought I'd live long enough to see a jealous dragon."

Gajeel didn't even deign that with a response. He just glared angrily at nothing. Finally he said, "Levy has a date tonight."

"Good for her," said the black Exceed. "With who?"

"Some fucktard she met at the bookstore today."

"Moron. You're soo jealous," taunted Lily with a snort.

"I am not!" Gajeel spat angrily to his feline companion and to himself. _I'm not! I'm not! I'm - aw, shit._

Unlike that idiot Salamander Natsu Dragneel, the Iron Dragonslayer had a better grasp of the basics of his human emotions. Metalicana saw to that (when his tin-plated foster father bothered teaching him anything worthwhile, Gajeel though with some brusque fondness) and taught Gajeel how to identify his emotions clearly. Jealousy was a particularly clear memory for him; long days of watching Metalicana snack on some choice wrought iron and burning with envy that the dragon wouldn't share a crumb with him.

Except the guy she was going out with was nowhere near as scary as a metal-plated dragon, and Levy wasn't a choice piece of iron (no matter how much he'd love to taste her). So he couldn't just bash the guy senseless and take her away. She'd hate him.

Lily rolled his eyes. "Make a move already. If you don't, she's going to be gone by the time you realize she's the best thing that's ever happened to you."

Gajeel was many things, and stupid wasn't one of them. He knew she was the best thing that ever happened to him. He'd known for months.

But Levy was innocent. A child. He'd already hurt her, so he didn't have the right to touch her.

It didn't keep him from wanting to touch.

* * *

When Levy walked into the guild later that afternoon, Gajeel had to do a double-take to make sure this was the same rumpled, shy little squirt he was used to seeing with her nose buried in a book. It was amazing what a group of determined females armed with beauty products were capable of. He could barely recognize her.

Her blue locks were pulled back in a high ponytail, and her bangs gently curled around her face. Instead of her normal sundress, she was wearing a strapless dress the color of ink sprinkled with shimmering glitter that twinkled like starlight whenever she moved. Strappy high heels made her legs look amazing, and she had a little silver satchel hanging from her shoulder just big enough for her pen and a small book.

"Wow Levy," breathed Jet and Droy in unison. "You look hot."

She looked more than hot, Gajeel all but snarled in his mind. She was fucking beautiful. Not that he'd be caught dead saying something that sappy.

_You WISH you had the balls to say something that sappy_, taunted a small voice in his head that sounded remarkably like Lily.

"Our little Levy's growing up," gushed Mirajane. She pulled out a black ribbon and tied it around Levy's head in a semblance of her usual headband. Clipping a metallic ornament to the band, she beamed at the solid script mage. "You're perfect, Levy. He's a lucky guy."

Gajeel was about to break his tankard in his fist and shred the bits into bits. Instead he grabbed another full tankard and drained it. While Mirajane's back was turned, he grabbed a fresh bottle of hard liquor and glugged it down. Lily watched this self-destructive behavior and groaned. Noticing Levy wave at him, he hopped off his barstool and walked over to her.

"Is Gajeel okay?" she asked, looking at the Dragonslayer worriedly. "He doesn't usually drink that much at once."

"He'll be okay. He's just...irritated," Lily said carefully, all too aware that Gajeel could probably hear them if he so chose to pay attention. "He's trying to numb it down. Chances are I'm gonna be dragging his drunk ass home in about an hour."

"Okay," Levy replied, still looking unsure. "Maybe after my date I can stop by?"

"That isn't necessary, but that would be very nice of you." Lily shot Gajeel an exasperated look. "Maybe you could write him some iron? It helps him out when he's really hammered."

She smiled at the black Exceed's concern for his partner. "Of course, Lily. Take care of him, okay? I'll try to stop by sometime tonight."

After Levy left on her date, the rest of the guild started talking about the lucky person who managed to charm the solid script mage. Nobody noticed Gajeel drinking like a fish at the bar aside from Lily and Mirajane, who kept serving him despite feeling that it was a bad idea. One hour passed, then two. Some people started sensing that the Iron Dragonslayer was beginning to sway on his stool, but it wasn't a big concern - until he hit the ground like a bag of bricks.

Lily rolled his eyes and heaved a disgusted sigh. "Great. Stupid junk-head is completely plastered." Transforming into his larger form, he grabbed the back of Gajeel's coat and dragged the unconscious Dragonslayer out of Fairy Tail amid shocked stares from the rest of the mages.

Natsu sniffed the bottle and glass Gajeel had been using. His face scrunched up in disgust. "Ew," he gagged. "Bottom-shelf liquor. I can smell the cheapness in the alcohol. Ew, ew, ew!"

Wendy made a face as well. "How can he drink that stuff? It stinks," she complained.

Mirajane giggled. "He's trying to drink his pain away. So cute."

"That is not a manly way to consider his pain," Elfman said warily. Sitting next to him, Evergreen smacked his arm with her fan with an annoyed look on her face. "I mean, that's not a very nice way to put it, Mira-nee."

* * *

Gajeel was a tough veteran drinker, but whatever he'd blindly grabbed from the shelf was playing havoc with his body. That and the fact that he'd undoubtedly mixed his liquor was the reason he was currently lying on his sofa with a killer headache and the incredible pain-induced urge to murder a cute baby animal. Violently.

Lily wrung out another cool cloth and draped it over his brow. "Have you learned your lesson, scrap head?"

"Shut the fuck up," Gajeel growled.

"You grabbed the absolute cheapest bottle of booze in the entire bar. How do you do that and not realize what you were drinking?" Lily made a disgusted face. "I could smell how cheap it was when I was talking to Levy. Natsu and Wendy couldn't understand how you could drink something so gross."

The large man shifted slightly. "You wanna forget something bad enough, you make do with what you got," he grumbled, staring blankly at the ceiling. The sound of rain began to batter the tin roof, starting a symphony of _rat-a-tats_ and _shaaa_that almost drowned out the thoughts in Gajeel's head.

Almost.

Gajeel knew he shouldn't want Levy. He didn't deserve her, didn't deserve to be in her life. Just because she was one of the few people who really knew him...and he'd saved her life a few times...and helped her during the S-Class Exam...and thought she was brave, and strong, and beautiful...

It didn't give him the right to want her so bad.

He'd known she was a popular girl. Her two accessories - ahem, teammates - were among the crowd of hopefuls who wanted to be her boyfriend. And why wouldn't men want to date her? A powerful S-Class mage with a cute face, gorgeous blue hair, deep brown eyes, a heart just as big as her spirit -

_Oh god, I am sloshed shitless. I sound like a pussy_.

Someone knocked on the door, sending pain radiating through Gajeel's skull. "Fuuuuuck," he moaned, turning over to bury his face in the back of his couch. "Make them go away, goddammit." He heard Lily's tiny feet pad over to the door, heard the lock snick open, the door creak open, and the black cat's surprised-yet-not-surprised greeting of "Levy."

_Levy? Shit, she can't see me like this! Move, idiot, move!  
_

Levy was very surprised to hear after she returned from her date that Gajeel had gotten completely and utterly wasted on cheap booze after she'd left. She was even more surprised when Lily greeted her at the door the Exceed's and Dragonslayer's little house and she saw said Dragonslayer sprawled on the couch like a corpse.

But the second most surprising thing Levy had ever seen was the sight of big, tough, badass Gajeel Redfox trying to run away when he heard her name. The most surprising thing was definitely when he got up from the couch, promptly tripped over some sort of junk metal that was scattered over his floor, and fell flat on his studded face.

"Oh my god, are you okay Gajeel?" she exclaimed, skipping over to his side. "What happened?"

The Iron Dragonslayer let loose a string of profanity that made the tips of her ears burn. When he ran out of breath, she leaned forward and said softly, "You want some help into bed?"

"Why you 'ere?" he slurred. Smouldering eyes the color of garnets looked up at her through half-closed lids. "Though' you ha'da date."

Levy tried not to cringe at the stench of alcohol on his breath. Apparently he was still drunk as hell. "It ended," she said. She pulled at his hand, coaxing him to his knees. "I said to Lily that I'd stop by afterwards, so here I am." Seeing that there was absolutely no way she and Lily could carry Gajeel to bed, she cast some solid script. "FLOAT!"

The pale blue word appeared in front of Gajeel. Gratefully he collapsed on it, feeling the magic bouy his weight and float beside Levy. Her small hand rested on his shoulder as she guided him into his bedroom and gently deposited him into his big bed. "Ow," he moaned, curling up into a black, spiky-haired ball like a bad-tempered porcupine. "Shiiiiiiit."

"Lily, go brew some tea, would you?" Levy asked the Exceed. When the black cat left, she sat beside Gajeel and patted his back. "It's okay, it's okay," she crooned, remembering how other guild members acted when drunk and how much in pain they seemed to be. The tea would help him better, but Levy thought that the sound of her voice and her hand making soothing circles on his broad back could help.

It was a few minutes before he spoke again. "Wh're your date a'?"

"Where's my date at?" she repeated. When that black-haired head nodded Levy sighed. "He went home. Tell you the truth, he wasn't terribly interesting, and just a tad skeevy." Moving her hand to rub between Gajeel's shoulder blades, she shook her head. "Really, I shouldn't be surprised. Guys just seem to want me for my body and not my brain. Don't ask me why, there isn't much on the former to want."

"...shoul' be ha'py..."

"I'm sorry?" she said, entirely missing what he'd muttered. "I didn't hear that, Gajeel. What did you say?"

"Said, you should be ha'py," he slurred slightly. He turned on his side and looked up at her again with his ruby-red eyes that almost seemed to burn into her. "Shouldn't be dis'point'd by fuck'n mor'ns who're jus' tryin' t'get in your pan's."

Maybe it was the alcohol turning off the filter between brain and mouth, but Gajeel was suddenly overcome with the urge to tell her just what he wanted. What he thought she deserved. It wasn't his place, and gods only knew that he had no say in her life, not to mention her love life. But he cared about this scrawny, itty-bitty girl who'd managed to worm her way into his iron-plated chest and find whatever was left of his shriveled heart. He cared enough to want to protect her.

So against all sane judgment and his own conscience, Gajeel opened his mouth - and flipped to the other side of the bed in time to vomit into his bedside trashcan.

From the doorway, holding a pot of tea and three cups, Lily sighed. "Idiot."

Gajeel avoided the guild for three days while he recovered from his drinking binge. Technically he was stone-cold sober by the end of day one, but he stayed away for an additional two days for the simplest of reasons.

He was embarrassed. How could he hurl in front of Levy? That was so friggin' lame, especially for a badass Iron Dragonslayer such as himself. Nursing his wounded pride was a good reason to avoid seeing the blue-haired mage girl, so Gajeel milked it for all it was worth.

Then Lily walked in one day and said the five words that made the Dragonslayer see red. "Levy's got another date tonight."

Gajeel was up and walking to the guild faster than Lily could spread his wings and fly after him. Banging open the doors, the tall Dragonslayer scanned the mages present for a familiar mop of blue hair before spying her by the bar with Mirajane. Gajeel walked up to her like a tiger stalking its prey - or a dragon. People quickly got out of his way.

Lily fluttered beside Cana, who shared a grin with the black Exceed and muttered, "Wait for it..."

Knowing his face was probably a stunning shade of scarlet, Gajeel stomped up behind Levy and patted her on the head to get her attention. She spun around, and he was annoyed to notice that she was once again decked out in her starlight-dusted little black number, strappy heels, and metallic headband that smelled oddly like the purest iron he'd ever come across. As if he didn't have enough temptation already; now she smelled good enough to eat.

"Gajeel? What are you doing?" she asked, looking up with a puzzled expression on her face.

Gajeel had no idea what he was doing, so he decided to stick with his usual brusque delivery. "You're not going out tonight."

"Excuse me?" she replied.

He decided to speak slowly, in case she missed it earlier. "You're not going out with that fucktard tonight. Or ever."

Levy put her hands on her hips defiantly. "And why aren't I?" she fired back.

"Because I said so," he growled. _Dammit, why is she so fucking CUTE when she's angry?_

"And what gives you the right to dictate my actions, Gajeel Redfox?" Levy demanded to know.

What gave him the right? _What gave him the right?_ A predatory smirk pulled back Gajeel's lips dangerously. _Well, if she's going to ask..._

Leaning down, he roughly pressed his lips to hers for a good long minute. Nobody moved or spoke, letting a shocked silence descend over the guild. When he pulled away he said gruffly, "Because you're my bookworm, that's why. And I don't like to share. Got that, shorty?" To drive the point home, he bent over and closed his teeth around the clip on her headband, biting the iron away and chomping on it noisily.

Everyone was obviously expecting Levy to take him down. Frankly, so was Gajeel. What nobody expected was for Levy to nod and say, "Well then, you should've said something earlier. Since that's the case, will you take me out?"

He grinned that razor-sharp grin he found himself saving for her. "Sure. But you're paying for your own meal. I've seen how much you eat."

"Gajeel!" she squeaked, giving him a smack on the arm. When they got outside, she smiled and laced her little fingers through his larger ones. "I must admit, I've never seen you jealous before. It was kind of adorable."

"Don't think you'll see it again," he said with finality. "Because you won't."

Gajeel Redfox had no time for stupid emotions. Especially jealousy, which was for weak shits who couldn't get what they wanted and wanted what they couldn't get.

He'd wanted Levy McGarden. A sweet, spunky girl who'd managed to make him feel like a decent human being again. And he'd gotten her.

What more could he want?

* * *

**God, these two need to be canon, like, NOW. Seriously.**

**Review please!**


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